Visitors are coming to our class..

• October 13, 2005– John Sutherland, Engineering– Yoke Khin Yap, Physics– Dave Karnosky, Forestry

» Host: Chung-Jui Tsai (Forestry)

• October 27, 2005– Dave Reed, VP for Research– Anita Quinn, Director of Research Services– Lisa Jukkala, Research Services– Marilyn Vogler, Graduate School

Five things Reviewers look at before they even think about

reading your proposal• Who is proposing it? CV and support..

• Where are you coming from?

• How much are you asking?

• What is the title of your proposal?

• What activity you are proposing: Summary

Simple Assignment

• Start thinking about the background information• Come up with one line title.• Short & sweet but not too cute!• Avoid acronyms• Should attract reader to your proposal• Use key words, don’t be too general• Avoid using these words: understanding,

developing, finding, proposing, for the first time• Title should tell people what this proposal is about!• Write key words and connect

How to submit a NSF proposal?

• Electronic via FASTLANE

• Reach there by Deadline but don’t wait till last minute (Target date?)

• How it is processed at NSF

• Three major steps to successful proposal– Read the instructions– Read the instructions– Read the instructions

Proposal preparation• Format

– Pagination: You do it just before submission– 15 page limit– Previous NSF grants (max 5 pages)– 10 points or larger– Density 15 characters per 2.5 cm– 6 lines per 2.5 cm vertical space– margins in all directions 2.5 cm– My suggested font will be Times New Roman 12 point– References not included in the 15 page limit– But figures and tables are..

What if I do not follow these guidelines?

How can I use all the space I got?

• Leave some blank space for aesthetic purpose. Solid page is hard to read!

• Use some figures and pictures to break the monotony. (Color better!)(No clip arts, please)

• Show one diagram of interrelationship among the proposal components

• Explain what figures/tables you put there!

• Personalize proposal with your unique style!

Don’t forget the basics • Grammar, spellings and style counts!• Use Bold, underline, and bullets to draw attention (1 of 3)• Write each paragraph so that it builds on the preceding

paragraph. Make your ideas connect and flow. Each new paragraph is a step toward the final paragraph to solve the problem. Each new paragraph adds excitement and urgency of doing proposed work (Bev Browning)

• You should answer every question that comes next to your mind when you read your own narrative

• Limit flowery words to three-four in the entire proposal• This is not a novel although it should read like one.• They should not stop reading and go back and forth• Touch their heart, mind and intellect and wallet!• Always start fresh..

What is the goal? What are the main objectives?

• Goal: one sentence statement about the END that one strives to attain

• Objectives: attainable milestones or checkpoints to be achieved to know how far are we from our goal?

• A Timetable is must!

• Use active words: will be established, proven, discovered..

How will we submit the proposals for this class?

• I have formed three groups of 5-6 students.• All assignments will be circulated among peers from your

group.• Everyone is expected to give input to each other via

email. Collect all input to others in one email. Include me on the e-mailing list.

• Forms will be kept on my website. You download them, fill them up and submit to me by e-mail.

• The final proposal will be a single, collated document in the pdf format that will go to your peer group, outside evaluators and professors for grading.

How will proposals be evaluated?• We will use the same two criteria that NSF uses (Read

GPG).• Intellectual merit

– How important for advancement of knowledge?– Qualification of PI and quality of proposal?– Creative and original concepts? – How well conceived and organized is this activity?– Sufficient resources available?

• Broader impacts– Advance discovery and understanding– Can promote teaching and research integration– Diversity (gender, ethnicity, disability, geographical)– Infrastructure development– Dissemination of information obtained – What is the benefit to society?

Grant Proposal Writing

Valorie’s top 10 Don’ts

No!

No!

No!

No!No!

No!

No!No!

No! No!

Top 10 Don’ts

10Don’t wait until the last

minute.

Top 10 Don’ts

9.Don’t ignore or

undervaluethe boring parts:

management plan

education & outreach

project evaluation, etc.

This is boring and it isn’t my

area of expertise.

Who will care anyway if I

omit it?

8.Don’t ignore any instructions in

the RFP.

Request for

Proposals

Instructions

Do this

Do that

Mail to

Email to

Sections required

Page limits

Margin & font sizes

Etc.

Top 10 Don’ts

7.

Don’t lie. Don’t plagiarize.

Top 10 Don’ts

6.Don’t promise something that

you can’t deliver.

I sure hope I can do this.

Well, miracles do

happen!

Top 10 Don’ts

5.Don’t try to cram

everything but the kitchen sink

into your proposal.

Top 10 Don’ts

4.Don’t ever say “it

is obvious” or “it is apparent.”

Assume that nothing is obvious or apparent.

It is obvious that…..

Top 10 Don’ts

Top 10 Don’ts

3.Don’t have any misspelled words

or grammatical errors

Dictionary

Top 10 Don’ts

2.Don’t ignore the reviewers’

comments

Top 10 Don’ts

1.Don’t give up!

You can’t win if you don’t enter!

My top 10 Do’s

Top 10 Do’s

10.Do develop a good idea that someone will want to fund

Top 10 Do’s

9.Do start early &

allow enough time to write a good proposal

Top 10 Do’s

8.Do ask for and use

available help:• Program Officers• Colleagues• University resources• Reviewer comments• Prior awardees

Top 10 Do’s

7.Do learn to accept

criticism.

Do use constructive

criticism wisely.

That idiot doesn’t know

anything!!!!!

Now that’s a good

idea. I’ll try that.

Top 10 Do’s

6.Do understand about “goals,”“objectives,” and “activities.”

Activities

The “to do” list

Chronological order

Objectives

What you want to achieve in the short-term

Immediate results from your project

Goals

Long-term changes or contributions of your project.

The BIG PICTURE things

Top 10 Do’s

5.Do understand the goals of the

funding agency.

NSF’s goals

Your project

Top 10 Do’s

4.Do show your

passion.

Top 10 Do’s

3.

Do sell yourself and your product.

2. Do make your proposal as easy and as pleasant to read as possible for the reviewers:

well-organized 1st person and direct sentences pleasing to the eye: lots of white space;

use diagrams, tables, and pictures but keep them simple

read it aloud and have others critically read it

make your abstract as good as it can be Highlight the review criteria so reviewers

don’t miss them

This Not this

Top 10 Do’s

1.1.

Be an Be an optimist!optimist!